The thing about most smart home solutions is that they force those interested in one to buy a wide array of devices for each individual appliance or item to be tracked. But with Sense, only one is needed exactly where it counts.

The Sense home energy monitor is a small box that attaches to a home’s energy panel. It is programmed with algorithms designed to identify each appliances individual “voice,” or the electrical signature it produces when consuming energy. In this way, Sense can distinguish the washer from the refrigerator from the air conditioner — avoiding the hassle of having a separate device for each. It connects via Wi-Fi to a smartphone companion app which can be used to track wattage like items on a supermarket receipt so that users can make wiser decisions when it comes to energy usage. It can even warn users when something is about to breakdown using the information it gathers, hopefully avoiding a bigger repair bill in the process. A Sense goes for $249 and is expected to ship in October.

Everyone wants lower energy bills. This solution is probably the easiest of them all. With individual devices, something can be missed. With Sense, everything is taken into account and neatly summarized in the app itself. Combine with something like the Thermoneystat or Kumostat to keep heating and cooling under control, too.